Summary

Taiwan Director Doze Niu Escapes Jail Term

November 7, 2014/ 07:55 AM. PT

Patrick Frater

Asian Bureau

A Taiwanese director, Doze Niu Chan-zer, whose film entitled “Paradise in Service” was the
opening film of the recent Busan Festival, was given a suspended jail sentence fro breaking a law that
prohiobits the entry of Chinese nationals into a Taiwan naval base.

On the preparations for the shoot of “Paradise, Niu had smuggled cinematographer Cao Yu into a
Kaohsiung naval base.

During trial of his case, Niu pleaded not guilty to the charge but pleaded poverty and asked not to
be fined.

However, Niu who was suspended for two years was given a five month prison sentence. In
addition to his sentence, the Kaohsiung District Court imposed upon him a fine of NT $15,000
(US$4,900) and ordered him to perform sixty (60) hours of community service.

The film has six nominations in the upcoming.

Comment:

All men are created equal, that we are endowed with inalienable rights, and among these were
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Embodied in our Constitution are these significant
pronouncements: that no one could be deprived of his rights, that no one is above the law, and, that our
government was designed to protect these rights.

Everyone is subject to the law; that no one no matter how important or powerful, is above the
law. However under the rule of law, no individual can be ordered by the government to pay civil damages
or suffer criminal punishment except in strict accordance with the well-established and clearly defined
laws and jurisprudence.

Handing down decisions typically include the weighing up of aggravating factors, insofar as they
exist, in order to individualise the sentence with respect to the offender and the circumstances of the
offense(s). Aggravating factors are those which may increase , while mitigating factors may have the
opposite effect. The courts have generally been left a broad discretion as to how to deal with aggravating
and mitigating factors.

Accordingly, the five month prison sentence and fine imposed upon Doze Niu Chen-zer, who is
found to have violated a law prohibiting the entry of Chinese Nationals into a Taiwan naval base, is well
within the range of the law and is considered just and equitable under the circumstances of the case.

Summary:

Thailand Free Visa Program A Success

Home Taiwan News

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Staff Writer, with CAN

According to TAT (Thailand Tourism Authority), Taiwanese visitors arrivals to Thailand dropped
by an annual 30 percent in the first nine months of the year.

The offer of free visas to Taiwanese over a three-month period as Thailand’s tourism promotion
had gained a tremendous response.

Pongsathom Kessasamli, deputy governor for international marketing at the Tourism Authority of
Thailand (TAT), declared that “when visa fee waiver was in effect, the number of Taiwanese applicants
for Thai visas had increased 246 percent year-on-year in the period from August 9 to November 7, 2014.

During the opening day of the Taipei International Travel Fair, Kessasamli said, “the Thai travel
market is recovering steadily.

The visa fee waiver was part of Thailand’s efforts to attract Taiwanese visitors after violent
political turmoil in the Southeast Asian Nation subsided earlier this year.

Kessasamli added, “it would be up to government authorities to decide whether to repeat the visa
fee waiver or implement a visa-waiver program for Taiwanese visitors.
COMMENT:

Political violence has indeed a big impact on tourism.

According to Hall and O’Sullivan, perceptions of political instability and safety are prerequisites
for tourist visitation. Violent protests, social unrest, civil war, terrorist actions, the perceived violations of
human rights, or even the mere threat of these activities can all serve to cause tourists to alter their travel
behavior.

The political climate negatively affect the airlines revenues and their economy. Thus, the no fee
visa policy for the Taiwanese has proven a hit and help improve the travel market.